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So, I'd love a CX bike, and my winter bike is getting tired so will need some new parts and a new groupset. So this got me thinking, How about I get a decent lightweight CX bike and run it with road wheels in the winter for training so I don't ruin my CR1. Viable option?

A concern is I'm used to a 53/39, and spin out on descents with my 12, so I think I'd die when running a 46/36 or similar CX spec crankset. Can I CX on proper rings? I'm assuming I'd struggle for traction. Unless of course, I could find cranks that fitted both ring sizes so I could swap depending on where I was riding. Hassle though...

If you are spinning out on 53x12 you should stop pedalling anyway. Can you run 53/39 in a CX race? Yes, but you wouldn't want to. The 53 would be useless, but you could just stay in the 39 the whole time.

"Step forward the climber and all those who worship at the altar of lightness" - R. Millar

euan wrote:If you are spinning out on 53x12 you should stop pedalling anyway. Can you run 53/39 in a CX race? Yes, but you wouldn't want to. The 53 would be useless, but you could just stay in the 39 the whole time.

I just finished building a CX bike for that purpose.I chose canti brakes option, so I can swap my everyday road wheels, with appropriate tires, on the CX bike, an forth. Right now I'm waiting for a set of Challenge Parigi Roubaix 27 mm tires to arrive (it looks a little awkward with little tires on...).It's my first CX, so I was impressed at how HIGH the bike was !!! 2 1/2 '' higher BB than the road bike !!! I also put the same drivetrain that's on my road bike, in case I need some replacement parts during summer/racing season. I put a standard compact 34/50 setup on it, with 11-23 cassette.

I used cx bikes for commuting, including winter, for about ten years before I retired. I had no problem with cantis but discs were Darwin those days. As Louis said, the high bottom bracket will feel different. Some cx bikes are closer to road in that respect or you could try one of the new "gravel" bikes that some US builders are putting together. They would allow bigger tires or even studs if you need those, as I used to for part of the winter. Then again, the gravel bike wouldn't be as suitable for real cross racing.

If you're concerned about gearing, you could go with a 52/36 to get something bigger on the front. You could still use it for cx racing and it would be big enough for road riding.

I run a standard compact on my cross bike with a SRAM 11-32 cassette. Currently have some 700x32 Gran Bois tires mounted up and I really like the ride. The Crux has clearance for a 700x40(42?) Vittoria Randonneur. I'll do group rides with it in its current setup and don't have any problems keeping up. Pictured with my dads BMC GF01:

If you want to be good at cross and have a good bike for cross your only real options are a 46 or 48 tooth big ring and you ride that in the winter or you swap it out when cross season is done. Also, brands vary a lot with their geometry but often the higher level the cross bike is the closer to road geometry you get. If you buy something like a Crux, of course you're going to be riding something closer to a hybrid bike than a road bike or true cross frame.